Editorial: No excuse not to fill 29th seat right now

THE ISSUE Gov. David Paterson is now vacillating on whether to call a special election to fill the vacant 29th congressional seat.

OUR VIEW Western New York has just as much right as the rest of the nation to be fully represented in Congress.

MPNnow

Writer

Posted Apr. 8, 2010 at 12:01 AM
Updated Apr 8, 2010 at 8:16 AM

Posted Apr. 8, 2010 at 12:01 AM
Updated Apr 8, 2010 at 8:16 AM

MPNnow.com

After saying in the immediate wake of former Rep. Eric Massa’s resignation that he planned to call a special election to fill the vacancy, Gov. David Paterson is now backpedaling.

Citing concerns about the cost of holding a vote in the eight counties the district covers, and of disenfranchising district residents serving overseas in the military, the Democratic governor’s office is now indicating residents may have to wait until the general election in November to fill the seat.

That would be fine with local Democratic Party officials.

“It’s clear a special election would prove very expensive,” Steuben County Democratic Chairman Shawn Hogan told the Hornell Evening Tribune. “Gov. Paterson is rightfully taking these concerns into consideration.”

Here’s what’s clear: Democrats will be lucky to win one election in the Republican-leaning 29th District this year, let alone two. They will have to overcome a disadvantage not only in party enrollment but name recognition. (That’s especially true at the moment, considering the eight county Democratic Party chairs haven’t even formally announced the candidate they selected this week.)

With the resignation of Democrat Massa, the Republican candidate, former Corning Mayor Tom Reed, has gone from long-shot challenger of an incumbent to odds-on favorite, whether the vote is held next month or next fall.

So while not holding a special election would indeed save money, and ensure soldiers aren’t somehow excluded from voting, it is also politically expedient for Democrats.

But it would be unfair to the 650,000 or so residents of the district, who are not currently represented in the House.

Elections cost money, of course. But there’s a list of actions stretching from here to Albany the governor could pursue that would save the counties more than denying them congressional representation. And how is disenfranchising all the district’s voters somehow an answer to concerns about potentially disenfranchising those serving in the military?

Sorry, Governor. That’s a pretty thin foundation from which to stand firm on denying hundreds of thousands of state residents full representation in their government.

Schedule the election. As soon as possible. And may the best candidate win. Democrats may not be satisfied with the outcome. Perhaps it’s Republicans who won’t be satisfied. But all voters —

Democratic and Republican — deserve the satisfaction of having their say at the ballot box.